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Germany, Finland announce new support for Ukraine

22.12.2023 07:30
Germany will provide EUR 88.5 million to bolster Ukraine's energy system and Finland will deliver EUR 106 million in fresh military aid to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion, officials have said. 
The headquarters of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin.
The headquarters of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin.Derbrauni, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The governments in Berlin and Helsinki announced the new support for Ukraine on Thursday, according to news outlets. 

Germany said it would transfer an additional EUR 88.5 milion to "help strengthen the resilience of the Ukrainian energy system" as Russia conducts its winter campaign against Ukraine's infrastructure, the Reuters news agency reported.

The German government will channel EUR 54.3 million through the state-run KfW bank and EUR 34.2 million to the international Ukraine Energy Support Fund, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Meanwhile, Finland will deliver EUR 106 million in new military assistance to help Ukraine repel Russian aggression, the ministry of defence in Helsinki said. 

Details of the package were not made public for operational and security reasons, The Kyiv Independent website reported.

Finland's Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said his country was "committed to supporting Ukraine in both the short and long term."

Following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Finland joined NATO in spring 2023 and on Monday signed a defence cooperation agreement with the United States, according to news outlets.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would station troops on the border with Finland in response to Helsinki's accession to NATO, the independent outlet Meduza reported.

Friday is day 667 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

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Source: Reuters, RFR/RL, The German Foreign MinistryThe Kyiv IndependentMeduza